West Suburban Symphony Orchestra Review Essay

Over the past weekend, I saw the West Suburban Symphony Orchestra. This orchestra included, Violin 17, Viola 8, Cello 7, Contrabass 5, Harp 1, Flute and Piccolo 3, Oboe 2, English Horn 1, Clarinet 2, Bass Clarinet 1, Saxophone 1, Bassoon 2, Contrabassoon 1, French Horn 5, Trumpet 3, Trombone 2, Bass Trombone 1, Tuba 1, and Percussion 5. There was also some vocalists including Soprano 14, Alto 15, Tenor 11, and Bass 8. The two pieces that were being performed were, Symphony No. 1 - Winter Dreams - by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky, and Alexander Nevsky by Sergei Prokofiev. The performance was at the auditorium in Hinsdale Central High School. I saw the show on Sunday, March 11, 2018. I choose this performance because my mom played in it. The one aesthetic that helped enhance the performance is dynamics. At the start of the first piece by Pyotr Tchaikovsky all the winds were in

This symphony did a great job of being quiet if their part wasn’t the melody or harmony. For example, in the first piece by Tchaikovsky the low brass had the baseline and the woodwinds had the melody, so the low brass played at a piano level, while the woodwinds played at a mezzoforte level. Throughout the first song, the orchestra did a nice job of going from forte to piano in an instant. Also, when they gradually grew or dropped down their dynamics, they were in unison. Towards the middle of the piece, there was a round starting with the brass. In this round, the orchestra did a nice job of playing loud when they had the soli and then turning it down when other instrument groups had their soli. Lastly from the Tchaikovsky piece, throughout the entire song, whenever the